An application may require that users verify their identity or otherwise authenticate themselves before permitting continued use of the application. To verify their identity, users may be required to provide credentials (such as a user name and a password), a public key and a public key certificate, provide an answer to a question that only they should know, or some combination thereof. After the identity of the user is verified or authenticated, the application permits the user to continue using the application. Users may similarly be required to authenticate themselves or otherwise verify their identity when attempting to access specific data, such as files, databases, and/or other electronic records.